The newly-renovated Commons has been received with mixed reviews, but I’m not here to talk about the seating or pizza oven. The most surprising and unexpected addition is the daily appearance of vegan desserts. Full disclosure: I am not a vegan or a food critic. I’m just a dairy-free vegetarian excited about dessert.

In celebration of World Vegan Day (Nov. 2),  and in support of vegan options in Calvin’s dining halls, I bring to you a review of a few recent vegan dessert options:

Banana Bread: 5/5

Getting the right consistency is the most challenging part of baking using dairy or egg substitutes. This banana bread got it right. It managed to be soft and moist without being mushy, which is an incredible and delicious feat.

Pumpkin Spice Bread: 5/5

The quality of vegan bread coming out of the dining hall has been surprisingly high. They’ve nailed the consistency so far. And the great thing about bread is that it makes a great base for a variety of flavor combinations. The inclusion of pumpkin in the fall is appreciated. This one pairs well with a strong cup of Commons coffee.

Cookie Dough Cupcake: 4/5

Imagine a pile of cookie dough placed on top of a moist, chocolate cupcake. Two desserts typically unfriendly towards vegans are incorporated in this sugary treat. While succeeding at being tasty, the rating above is mostly based on the surprise at seeing such a dessert creation.

Chocolate Cake: 4 / 5   

Another success! I’m not totally convinced this moist chocolate cake with a thin layer of vanilla frosting was vegan. The consistency was just like a cake — a major accomplishment for a vegan dessert.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie: 4 / 5

Vegan cookies, in general, will look different than the typical dining hall cookies. For example, these looked like little doughy clouds. They were softer and chewier than the cherry oatmeal cookie. Dunking this in coffee wasn’t necessary, but I would recommend it nonetheless.

Cherry Oatmeal Cookie: 3 / 5

Cookies are another challenging dessert to create using dairy and egg substitutes. In this case, the cookie looked like an actual cookie. The oatmeal may have made it a little stiff, but dunking it in Commons coffee softened it up. The addition of cherries, real cherries, was a bonus.

Lemon Bar: 1/5

Truth be told, it’s safe to be suspicious of most desserts that claim to be a “bar.” Bars are for granola. In this case, the bar was made of a bright yellow topping over a plain crust. The lemon flavor was much stronger than I would have liked.

Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie: 1 / 5

The vegan cookies are not as consistently impressive as the vegan bread. This cookie is more crumbly or powdery than crispy. It was falling apart in my hands and has little flavor aside from the chocolate chips. Don’t pair with coffee, just have coffee instead.

Peppermint Bar: 0 / 5  

This dessert appeared on Halloween and I’m unsure what type of dessert it was attempting to imitate. There were three layers, and one was probably frosting but the other two were unidentifiable gooey layers of sugar.

I support and encourage the availability of dietary options in the dining halls. To the Commons Dining Staff: your efforts are noticed and deeply appreciated. If you’re a student who is vegan, almost vegan, or interested in becoming vegan, check out Calvin College’s Students for Compassionate Living on Facebook, or try a dessert for yourself. The desserts are displayed at the ends of the lunch lines on the main floor in the Commons dining hall.